They have been so close, yet so very far at the same time. For the last three years, that has been the moral of the story for the South Sydney Rabbitohs, when it comes to finals football.
In the last three years alone, the club has finished the season one win short of the finals – but now, the club is keen to rectify that under coach Michael Maguire, with English prop Sam Burgess saying that the time for a finals berth, begins now, and not towards the end of the season.
With the club keen to let their early-season footy do the talking, as they look to get back to the fringes of the eight, as well as into it – Burgess knows that the wins have to start now, with their clash against an ailing Tigers side.
”It would be so much easier at the end of the year when you don’t have to win, knowing that you’re comfortably in the four or eight,” Burgess said.
”It’s our aim. The most wins you can get first up, the more comfortable you are towards the back end of the year. We’re looking to try to do that.”
To make matters worst for the Bunnies in this instance, on more than one occasion this season, the club has been in a position to win the match, only to lose, due to poor play, or pure chance.
‘When it does get to crunch time, especially around the 60-minute mark, that’s where games are won and lost,” Burgess said. ”We’ve just got to learn to ride the wave a bit better.”